LOWELL, MA–Syed Hussain is running for the Lowell City Council. A native of Hyderabad, India, he immigrated to the US in 1991.

In his pursuit of the American dream, Hussain rode his bicycle from South Lowell to Pawtucketville to mow lawns. He delivered fliers for The Sun. He delivered pizza.

He became a U.S. citizen, took some training courses and landed a job in human services. For the past 15 years, he has worked as a vocational resource specialist and mentor for the disabled and developmentally challenged.

â€œI want to do something for the people of the community who have no one to speak for them,â€ he said. â€œThey need to be heard.â€

Hussain said that as an â€œAll-American City,â€ Lowell needs to better embrace its diversity and include people from all backgrounds in the decision-making of the city.

â€œI believe the future of Lowell is about working together, educating our children and making everyone feel that they are an important contributor to the community,â€ he said.